What is difference between the basic 2 day horse trial and the basic 3 day like Las Cruces will have this year?
A Horse Trial can be run over 1, 2, 3, or sometimes 4 days.
The only difference is the timing. Rules, scoring, courses are the same.
Rules change when you go to a âClassic 3 Dayâ or an FEI CCI or CIC event.
1 Like
A 2-day usually has dressage Saturday morning and XC in the afternoon, followed by showjumping Sunday morning. A 3-day has only 1 phase per day. Friday: Dressage. Saturday: XC. Sunday: showjumping.
2 days Iâve been to have had D and SJ on day 01 and XC on day 02.
1 Like
A bit of history. Horse Trials were originally a one day thing. You got up before dawn cracked, hauled to the site. jogged at top speed over the CC to learn it, raced back to your trailer, tacked up and did your dressage, then according to your times, did CC, then when CC was done, stadium started.
Now a one day takes two to accommodate the increased , they hope, number of competitors. Some do dressage and show jumping one day, and CC the second. Others do dressage, and CC, then next day SJ.
Originally a Three-Day ran over Three days, with dressage on one, Endurance-roads and tracks, steeplechase, roads, and tracks, and cross country on day two, and stadium on the third. Now they still run Dressage on one or two days, the short format CC the next, and Stadium the third.
Confused enough yet?
1 Like
Merrygoround, your first paragraph is just as I remember it when I first started eventing back in the 80s at Caumsett Park on LI.
The order of the phases may be different at any competition. Dressage is always first but they may switch up SJ and XC, and or double one up with dressage, it will depend on their entries, their volunteer pool and any other factors. Sometimes Fridays will run the more advanced levels and then double up on Sat for the lower levels - it âjust dependsâ⊠you will have to look up each and every schedule to know.
In Ontario, Canada everything still runs as a one day. Dressage, Show jump then CC.
1 Like
I wish they could put dressage and stadium or XC on Saturday and whatever on Sunday. Having dressage on Friday makes it very inconvenient in having to take time off work to arrive on Thursday. I donât see why any horse canât do a dressage and a stadium jump round in one day.
It likely has more to do with scheduling enough rings/ judges/ volunteers than anything else. In Area 2 we have mostly all phases on one day at all levels below Advanced and they are more or less like merrygoround described except for sj going before xc. The event itself might run multiple days but the national divisions tend to be all in one day. If you dislike the way an event schedules your level, make sure to (politely) give them feedback. Most organizers really do try to adjust things to keep everyone happy when we can.
1 Like
Not in the British Columbia part of Canada! Normally run over 3 days, but sometimes 2, never been a (recognized) 1-day in the 27 years Iâve been out here. Even our back-to-backs are run 2 days each, so itâs 4 days of showing in total.
Not in Alberta either. Most are two days with dressage and show jumping on one day and xc the next day. We have a few that are over three days as well. We have had a couple of one day events but they get less entries. People usually have to travel a bit and like the time to hang out and visit with friends.
Well then, only in Ontario is all of the events a 1 day. They sometimes run over 2 days, but each division itself is a one day.
I much prefer a 1 day, 2 days require more time and money.
3 Likes
Yeah, 3 or 4 daysâŠhow can people who have farms and animals swing that
Boarding or farm care, or family left behind
By leaving hubby home to take care of stuff. 
2 Likes
Works if you have a hubby I guess. Guess we arenât out of that era yetâŠ
But really, if itâs a one off it is one thing. I can take time off and arrange animal sitters for vacations, but if I had to for every event than I wouldnât be eventing. And they wonder why eventing is struggling for entries in some places.
3 Likes
I know! I guess I need to skip being hetro so I can get that hubby to leave at home. It seems the girlfriends of my past wanted to go with me (which, in all honesty, is way more fun).
4 Likes
I leave hubby at home because heâs bored silly at HT. He tries to help on the ones he has attended and having to explain how to do everything takes too long so Iâd rather do it myself. But seriously, most of us have full time jobs and not unlimited time off; so having to take two days off work for each event can become a problem because eventually you run out of PTO. I have to pick and choose which events I attend because I also have to factor in a 7 day vacation to visit family on the other coast.
2 Likes
I need to not be hetero so I can get a 1950s style wife to cook and clean and keep things organizedâŠ
2 Likes
